More must be done to stop Rhyl flooding

ANGRY flood victims say they feel “forgotten” six months after they were forced to leave their homes.

Residents in East Rhyl are now calling for flood defence work to be carried out between Splash Point and Rhyl Golf Club to stop a repeat of the damage caused last December.

Garford Road resident Charles Moore said: “There is nothing being done to make matters better. There are ongoing inquiries. There is nothing solid. Nobody seems to be taking any action.

“We feel like we have been forgotten.”

VICTIMS of Rhyl’s floods have spoken of the devastation caused six months on.
More than 140 homes in East Rhyl were flooded when the highest tidal surge for more than 20 years battered Rhyl, Prestatyn and Kinmel Bay on December 5.

Residents who are calling for more flood defence work between Splash Point and Rhyl Golf Club have re-lived the ordeal.

Charles Moore, aged 61 of Garford Road, said the damage to the home he shares with wife Linda could be up to £100,000.

He said: “During the floods it was chaos.

“I have never seen anything like it before. There was no flood warning.

“The water started to pool outside our bungalow to about three foot in depth. That was when I decided this wasn’t the place to be. We grabbed a bag and moved a couple of things upstairs.

“We were wading out in calf deep water.

“It was unexpected, there were no warnings. No one asked us to get out or warned us there might be a problem.

“It has taken its toll on me. There are a lot of elderly residents here. Some of them have seen it for the second time.

“It has been difficult for people to come to terms with.”

After the flooding a community fund was set up by Rhyl Mayor, councillor Andy Rutherford, with tens of thousands of pounds being donated by residents, groups and charities as well as a donation from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Derek Shepherd, aged 64, of Ridgeway Avenue, returned to his home last week, he said residents were overwhelmed with the support of the community.

He said: “The flooding was really shocking. Our house was demolished. It’s been hard coping over the last six months.

“You don’t know what is going to happen. You’re away from home its terrible.
“A lot of people feel like that.”

Since the floods the promenade between Splash Point and the Sun Centre has closed so work can start to repair the secondary sea defence wall.

The Welsh Government has provided more than £10m to help affected communities across Wales recover from the bad weather, including £7.2m to repair damaged flood defences, £2.3m to support repair works to tourism and business, and a further £855,000 to repair damaged sections of the Wales Coast Path.

Mr Moore said: “I think half of this could have been avoided if there would have been some kind of flood resilience built into these properties.

“It would have saved a lot of money.

“There is nothing been done to make matters better. There are ongoing enquiries. There is nothing solid. Nobody seems to be taking any action.

“We feel like we have been forgotten. We feel forgotten by David Cameron who said we will build resilience into flooded properties, but he didn’t bother to say but not in Wales.”

Mr Shepherd added: “I think there needs to be significant defence work carried out from Splash Point towards Garford Road. They are putting boulders up towards the Pavilion.”